20171021

WONDER WOMAN

By July 1979, "the name Wonder Woman was one known by three generations of Americans." 'Fantastic Films' reported, "Super-heroes have been a staple of mass media since the days of Homer's 'The Iliad'. 'The Six Million Dollar Man' and 'The Bionic Woman' enjoyed considerable success between 1973 and 1978. These shows featured half-android humans performing slightly fantastic feats on behalf of the United States government. With the success of 'The Bionic Woman', 'Wonder Woman' was a natural for television adaptation."

'Ancient Astronaut' observed, "The outbreak of phenomenally successful films in the science fiction field has caused television to jump to attention with both feet." 'Starlog' noted, "The Amazon Princess began her career in 1974 as an ABC-TV movie and eventually leaped from film to specials to mini-series to full-fledged weekly series during her 5-year video career. Sort of a female version of Superman, Wonder Woman used her athletic skill, impenetrable bracelets and magic lasso to combat a variety of planet-shaking catastrophes."

'TV's Dynamic Heroes' added, "During the 1970s, Wonder Woman joined Superman, Batman and Robin, Aquaman, Flash, Green Arrow and Plastic Man, on the Saturday morning animated cartoon series 'Super-Friends'. This hour-long series presented various members of the Justice League of America fighting villains who were concerned with such activities as blackmailing the Earth by polluting its waters."

In one episode of 'Wonder Woman' called 'The Pluto File', man-made earthquake was explored. The character of professor Otis Warren said, "Our ultimate goal is to control and eliminate earthquakes, not create them. Our goal is to prevent, not create earthquakes." In 'The Man Who Made Volcanoes', viewers met professor Arthur Chapman, a former government physicist who successfully invented a machine using laser beam powered by nuclear energy to create volcanoes around the world in the name of peace.

The Bible stated that God "has set a day in which he purposes to judge the inhabited Earth (also known as Terra)." On 'Wonder Woman', Andros, an alien from outer space and an old friend of Socrates, visited Earth as a representative of the Council of Planets to pass judgment in the episode 'Judgment From Outer Space'. The development of atomic power on Earth posed a threat to the outer space planets, hence the Intergalactic Council who had been monitoring Earth since the Stone Age (Neolithic) voted to destroy the planet. Andros who had been observing the planet for over 3,000 of Earth years appealed against the judgment said Abraham Lincoln once accused him of being impatient with humanity.

On Earth, Andros asked Major Steve Trevor, to arrange for him to meet with Franklin D. Roosevelt, the US Congressmen, then Josef Stalin, Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Chaing Kai-Shek, Benito Mussolini, Michinomiya Hirohito and Adolf Hitler. In one scene, Andros told Paul Björnsen of the Nazis, "You spoke to me of your cultural inheritance. Your inheritance is in a direct line with Genghis Khan, Attila. You celebrate the darkness in the human soul."

In the end after Wonder Woman convinced Andros democracy worked, he granted the humankind 50 years (to September 1992). Andros told the Nazis, "My people discovered basic atomics some thousands of your years ago and we experimenting with it and then outgrew the uses of such powers, such weapons. We developed other uses: more effective, less clumsy and polluting. We know other planets where atomic explosives were discovered leading to war and destruction and the planets did not survive. Earth is entering the atomic age and if you do not outgrow your emotional primitivism, you'll destroy yourself and others."

In 'Mind Stealers From Outer Space', Andros' son, Andros II returned to Earth as a representative of the Planetary Council to arrest the Skrill who came to Earth to steal knowledge - human minds - to use it on other planets in an evil way. Viewers were told Andros II came from the planet Octarus which was 37 light years from Earth, in the star system Signus Alpha. In 'Seance of Terror', viewers were introduced to a boy named Matthew Koslo who had psychic powers and who was being used to sabotage international peace.

The formation of a Fourth Reich was discussed in the episode 'Anschluss '77'. Fritz Gerlich, a Nazi Intelligence Officer who was living in South America teamed up with Dr. Heinrich Von Klemper, who since 1945, tried to clone Adolf Hitler for the 39th anniversary of the Austrian anschluss. The cloning involved "an acceleration of the healing process through cellular re-genesis."

In one scene the Hitler clone said, "More than 47 years ago I stood in a small Munich beer hall and spoke to a small band of loyal followers. I was scorned as a powerless nobody but my small band of Brown Shirts grew into thousands and the thousands into millions and we conquered a third of the world! … I again speak to a small band of loyal followers brought here from all over the world. Again we shall grow into millions. History shall repeat itself. A new Anschluss has begun!"

Stuntwoman Jean­nie Coulter expressed, "People think they can jump right in and do stunts, but that's just not true," Jeannie Epper explained, "You have to be blessed with an incredible sense of timing. I know how to perform in front of a camera, and that's really what it's all about. We're just out there to create the illusion." Jeannie Epper was the principal stuntwoman on 'Wonder Woman'. She doubled for Lynda Carter. However, "I didn't do all of Lynda's stunts. I did probably 75% of them. I did the high jumps off buildings, all of her running, jumping and car work.

"A lot of times I would double her as Diana in a jeop­ardy situation so I was doing two characters, which kept me very, very, busy. The character was so versatile. Being a superhero, there wasn't anything she couldn't do. Ride a motorcycle, or a horse; drive a car; jump to the tops of buildings. Sometimes it would be too much for me so we brought someone else in to do, say, the motorcycle stunts.

"We brought in the best woman cycle rider in the world, Debbie Evans, because Wonder Woman should ride a motorcycle as well as she does everything else. Working on Wonder Woman taught me so many things. We did a lot of stunts that took total precision and concentration. I would run and jump through a plate glass window, and maybe on the other side would be a desk and a plant. I had to jump totally over it, land on my feet and keep running doing every­thing with grace and ease. Now, that is very hard to do! I was almost trying to be Wonder Woman. Running along the tops of buildings, 5, 6, 7 stories tall, along the edge without a safety wire, keeps you on your toes! I was Wonder Woman. You get in­to that costume and put everything on and say to yourself, 'Now, Jeannie - you've got to perform!"

Lynda Carter told 'Good Housekeeping', "People thought I got some workout, leaping from buildings, running for miles. Not really - I'd run about 30 feet, stop, do it again, stop - film it just so. Those stunts didn't add up to much. I always had to exercise conscientiously and still do (in 1980). Body stretches start my day, even before I get out of bed. From then on, I keep active and try to get rigorous exercise in."

Diet, "that's the million-dollar question. I diet constantly. I watch my carbohydrates and if I go on an eating binge, I compensate the next day. I also drink lots of water. Luckily, I'm not a sweet-lover, sugar tends to depress me. My one weakness is Mexican food. I'm part Mexican and have had my recipes handed down. I love to whip up Mexican dishes once in a while."

Speaking to 'Body Forum' in 1980, Lynda Carter disclosed, "I jog about a mile and a half to two miles in the morning. Then I come home and I do some floor exercises. I've got a stationary bicycle that I use, too. As well as a complete gymnasium. But I'll vary the routine … In any case, though, I try to get some kind of exercise everyday. I guess I've always been health conscious. My mom has been extremely athletic ever since I can remember. The older you get, the more conscious you become of your skin, and your hair, and your body. And if you don't begin to do something to maintain these things, you'll just waste away.

"First of all, I'm a great believer in drinking lots and lots of water. Bottled water, that is. I feel people have to cleanse their skin from the inside out - as well as the other way around. Of course, at certain times of the month, I have a tendency to retain water. So then I take lecithin which is a natural diuretic. It keeps me from getting all puffy-looking. I also use a facial soap and water.

"And I use lots of night creams. I try not to wear makeup when I'm not working - to let my skin 'breathe' and I wash my hair everyday. I try not to use a blow dryer on my hair, either. Except when it's absolutely necessary. Because I find that too much of the hot air and stuff will dry your ends out. And then they split. I also take a vitamin pack every other day that contains just about everything you can imagine as far as supplements go. Vitamin A, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, selenium, Vitamin B-1, -2, -6, B-12, biotin, Vitamin E, wheat germ oil, rose hips ... There are 7 capsules in all and they really work wonders!

"Look, I don't spend a whole lot of time on my appearance. At the most, I might - on an average - spend half an hour daily on my face and another hour and a half on exercise. It's my jogging and the routine afterwards that takes the most time. But I'm not fixated on how I look or anything. I watch what I eat. I guess everybody has to. With me, I have a tendency to gain too much. Or to lose too much. When I gain, it shows up immediately on my face. It gets real round. And if I feel that I'm putting on extra pounds, I just stop eating. Period. Maybe I'll have a small green salad all day long - and that's it.

"Don't get me wrong, I love to eat. But only when the mood hits me. I adore Mexican food. Chiles. Enchiladas. But I prefer it home-cooked because, in restaurants, they usually use too much flour. And far too much grease. I'm just naturally energetic. Overly energetic sometimes. But on the rare occasions when I feel tired or a little sluggish, I'll take a spoonful of honey. Bee pollen, too, is very good for that. Or I'll have some juice and the natural sugar will perk me up. I don't eat very much sugar at all - which is probably why I've got so much energy in the first place!

"You know, if you're eating clean foods, and you're exercising your body and cleansing it with water - both inside and out, and you're thinking good thoughts about yourself, that's really where it's at. Self-image has got a lot to do with it. I feel that everyone has got their own beauty. Sure, people tell me I'm beautiful. I've been blessed with whatever I've got - and I'm thankful for it. Very thankful. But it's up to me to maintain it. And in that respect, I'm no different than trillions of other people who enjoy looking and feeling their best."